the four and twenty blackbirds that were baked in a pie? Well, you need not use live blackbirds in your cake, but you could have some surprise of a different sort.”
“Like what?” questioned Dorothy, eagerly.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be your present to Ozma, but mine,” answered the Sorceress, with a smile. “Think it over, my dear, and I am sure you can originate a surprise that will add greatly to the joy and merriment of Ozma’s birthday banquet.”
Dorothy thanked her friend and entered the Red Wagon and told the Sawhorse to take her back home to the palace in the Emerald City.
On the way she thought the matter over seriously of making a surprise birthday cake and finally decided what to do.
As soon as she reached home, she went to the Wizard of Oz, who had a room fitted up in one of the high towers of the palace, where he studied magic so as to be able to perform such wizardry as Ozma commanded him to do for the welfare of her subjects.
The Wizard and Dorothy were firm friends and had enjoyed many strange adventures together. He was a little man with a bald head and sharp eyes and a round, jolly face, and because he was neither haughty nor proud he had become a great favorite with the Oz people.
“Wizard,” said Dorothy, “I want you to help me fix up a present for Ozma’s birthday.”
“I’ll be glad to do anything for you and for Ozma,” he answered. “What’s on your mind, Dorothy?”
“I’m going to make a great cake, with frosting and candles, and all that, you know.”
“Very good,” said the Wizard.
“In the center of this cake I’m going to leave a hollow place, with just a roof of the frosting over it,” continued the girl.
“Very good,” repeated the Wizard, nodding his bald head.
“In that hollow place,” said Dorothy, “I want to hide a lot of monkeys about three inches high, and after the cake is placed on the banquet table, I want the monkeys to break through the frosting and dance around on the table-cloth. Then, I want each monkey to cut out a piece of cake and hand it to a guest.”
“Mercy me!” cried the little Wizard, as he chuckled with laughter. “Is that all you want, Dorothy?”
“Almost,” said she. “Can you think of anything more the little monkeys can do, Wizard?”
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